Nadi Shodhana: Alternate Nostril Breathing, Gentle Steps, Tradition and Safety

Nadi Shodhana is the breathing practice in which you breathe in and out through one nostril at a time, alternating sides. The Sanskrit name is usually translated as the purification of the channels, or channel cleansing. It is one of the best-known pranayama techniques, often taught as a calming practice, and it is also one of the ones that is sometimes taught with long breath holds that are not suitable for everyone.

This page teaches only the gentle form: easy, even breaths with no holding, no forcing and no counting that strains. It gives the steps, the tradition, the dosha view that teachers use, who should avoid it and what research says. Please read the safety notes for the whole section too, as breathing practices call for more care than postures.

How to do it

1. Sit comfortably on a chair or a cushion with the spine upright and the shoulders soft. Rest the left hand on the left knee.
2. Raise the right hand. Fold the index and middle fingers towards the palm, so that the thumb and the ring finger are free. This is a common hand position, and any comfortable variant is fine.
3. Close the right nostril gently with the thumb. Breathe in slowly and quietly through the left nostril.
4. Close the left nostril lightly with the ring finger, release the right, and breathe out slowly through the right nostril. Make the out-breath about as long as the in-breath, or a little longer, but never strained.
5. Breathe in through the right nostril, close it, and breathe out through the left. That is one round.
6. Do five rounds at first, with no pause between breaths. Release the hand, breathe naturally for a minute and notice how you feel.

If you feel dizzy, light-headed or anxious, stop and breathe normally. Do not hold the breath at any point. Keep the touch light, as pressing hard on the nose is unnecessary.

What the tradition says

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a medieval text on hatha yoga, describes the cleansing of the channels (nadi shuddhi) as a preparation for other breathing practices and speaks of it as purifying the subtle channels through which breath, or prana, is said to move. Its instructions include long retention and counted ratios, and these are not recommended here. The idea of subtle channels belongs to yoga’s own system and does not match anatomy as modern medicine describes it. Teachers today mainly present it as a calming practice that steadies attention. Those are descriptions from tradition, not medical claims.

Nadi Shodhana and the doshas

Linking breathing practices to doshas is a modern teaching convention. The medical texts of Ayurveda name breath, prana, as a form of vata, but do not set out this exercise, and the pairing has not been tested.

• Teachers often recommend it for vata, which tradition describes as restless and light, and say that the slow, even rhythm is steadying. See vata.
• For pitta, which tradition describes as hot and intense, they suggest a soft, unforced rhythm, sometimes with a slightly longer out-breath. See pitta.
• For kapha, which tradition describes as heavy and slow, they may suggest slightly brisker breathing, within comfort, to feel more awake. See kapha.

All of these are conventions. A comfortable, even breath is what matters.

Who should avoid it or take care

• Anyone with a blocked nose, a cold or sinus infection should wait, as forcing air through a blocked nostril is uncomfortable. Do not practise when you are unwell.
• People with high or low blood pressure, heart disease, epilepsy or a history of stroke should ask a doctor first, and should never practise breath holds.
• People with asthma or chronic lung disease should ask a doctor and stop if breathless.
• Anyone with panic disorder, anxiety or trauma may find breath focus unsettling. Stop if you feel worse, and see a doctor.
• In pregnancy, only a gentle, unforced version with no holding should be done, and only after asking your doctor.
• Children should practise only under a qualified teacher’s supervision.
• Those with nasal injury, a recent operation or nosebleeds should avoid it.
• People who feel dizzy should sit with back support and breathe normally.

A gentler option

The simplest gentler form is to breathe in and out slowly and evenly through the nose, with both nostrils open, in a comfortable seat. You can rest the hands on the belly and feel it rise and fall. Another version is to use the fingers for only three or four rounds. A third is to simply imagine the breath moving from side to side, without using the hand. People with a blocked nose may use the practice in only one open nostril, or skip it until the nose has cleared. In every case, keep breaths unhurried and let the classical idea of stopping at half effort, set out in exercise by dosha, guide you to stop early.

What research says

Small studies suggest that slow, controlled breathing, including alternate nostril breathing, may reduce the sense of stress and may lower heart rate or blood pressure briefly in some people. The trials are small, they differ in method and many are of low quality, so the evidence is not strong and no firm conclusions can be drawn. There is no good evidence that it treats any disease. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health advises new practitioners to avoid forceful breathing techniques, and people with conditions such as high blood pressure or glaucoma to seek medical clearance.

Making it part of your practice

Many people practise Nadi Shodhana for a few minutes before sitting quietly, or in the evening, in the spirit of evening and sleep. It is easy to do seated in thunderbolt pose or on a chair. You could follow it with corpse pose. The wider context of breath in a daily routine is in yoga and pranayama in an Ayurvedic routine. Practise on an empty stomach, in clean air.

The breathing practice above is described as a tradition, not as medical advice. The medical disclaimer sets out the limits of this site. If anything about your health worries you, speak to a doctor before trying it. A registered Ayurvedic practitioner is the person to see for Ayurvedic treatment.

Frequently asked questions